U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology questions NASA Administrator Charles Bolden during a budget hearing, Wednesday, March 2, 2011 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington. less

U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology questions NASA Administrator Charles Bolden during a budget hearing, Wednesday, March 2, 2011 in the Rayburn House Office ... more

Photo: Bill Ingalls / NASA

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Rep. Hall in Iraq about to board a C-130.

Rep. Hall in Iraq about to board a C-130.

Photo: Office of Rep. Ralph Hall

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Representative Ralph Hall, a Republican from Texas, chairs a House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on the impact of the LightSquared network in Washington D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011. Philip Falcone's LightSquared wireless service should undergo more testing before it is allowed to begin commercial service, Hall said. Photographer: Chris Powers/Bloomberg via Getty Images less

Representative Ralph Hall, a Republican from Texas, chairs a House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on the impact of the LightSquared network in Washington D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 8, ... more

Photo: Chris Powers / Getty Images

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Rep. Hall in a Blackhawk Helicopter.

Rep. Hall in a Blackhawk Helicopter.

Photo: Office of Rep. Ralph Hall

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Rep. Ralph Hall

Rep. Ralph Hall

Photo: Meredith McDermott / Hearst Newspapers

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Rep. Hall meets with General Petraeus.

Rep. Hall meets with General Petraeus.

Photo: Office of Rep. Ralph Hall

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Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Ralph Hall.

Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Ralph Hall.

Photo: Charles Dharapak / AP Photo

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Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Colonel Doug Wheelock present
Rep. Hall with a United States flag that was flown aboard the
Space Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station during STS-132.

Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Colonel Doug Wheelock present
Rep. Hall with a United States flag that was flown aboard the
Space Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station during STS-132.

Photo: Carla Cioffi / NASA

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Rep. Hall greets a Service Member.

Rep. Hall greets a Service Member.

Photo: Office of Rep. Ralph Hall

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Rep. Ralph Hall with former President George W. Bush.

Rep. Ralph Hall with former President George W. Bush.

Photo: Tim Sloan / Getty Images

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Texan Ralph Hall becomes oldest House member in American history

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This report was filed by the Associated Press.

When Ralph Hall was elected to the U.S. House in 1980 at the age of 57, he had already served in the Navy in World War II, built a successful business career and served in Texas’ state government for many years.

On Christmas Day, the North Texas congressman became the oldest person ever to serve in the U.S. House, surpassing the record of North Carolina Rep. Charles Manly Stedman, who died in office in 1930 at age 89 years, 7 months and 25 days.

Hall, who turns 90 on May 3, became the oldest House member to ever cast a vote this year. Those close to the Rockwall Republican say he remains active. Voters elected him last month to a 17th term with 73 percent of the vote, and Hall told the Dallas Morning News he may even run again.

“I’m just an old guy — lived pretty clean,” Hall said before achieving his milestone. “I have no ailments. I don’t hurt anywhere. I may run again. I’ll just wait and see.”

It’s more common for senators to serve into their later years, in part because senators run for reelection every six years instead of every two. South Carolina Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond celebrated his 100th birthday in the U.S. Senate in December 2002; New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg is the oldest current U.S. senator; he is to turn 89 next month.

Hall’s longtime chief of staff, Janet Perry Poppleton, and fellow members of the Texas congressional delegation credit him for staying active and physically healthy.

“He says the good Lord gives him stamina,” Poppleton said. “He takes care of himself, exercises. He has a full agenda every day.”

Hall chaired the House Science, Space and Technology Committee for the past two years, although he’ll soon step down as chairman because of term limits. Colleagues marvel at Hall’s stamina and joke about the stories he tells from his decades in public service.

“He gets up and does 50 pushups every day and runs two miles,” said Rep. Pete Sessions, a Dallas Republican.

Hall graduated from Rockwall High School and eventually joined the Navy during World War II. He’s one of just two current U.S. House members to have served in World War II. The other is 86-year-old John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who is the longest-serving member of the House.

Hall served as president and CEO of the Texas Aluminum Corp. and helped found a bank in Rockwell, among other private-sector achievements, according to his congressional website.

He served as Rockwall County judge, or the chief administrative official, and later in the Texas state Senate before he was elected to the U.S. House in 1980 as a Democrat. More than two decades later, Hall became a Republican, which likely prolonged his political career.

While Democrats were angry, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Democrat from Dallas, made sure to tell Hall she still liked him.

“He admitted being so happy to hear my message because his wife was mad at him,” Johnson said, according to the newspaper. “Some said she actually had him sleeping on the couch.”

Hall’s wife, Mary Ellen Hall, died in 2008. He keeps a black-and-white photo of himself in a Navy uniform next to Mary Ellen on his desk in a House committee hearing room.

“I’m not what I used to be, and I’m more than I used to be somewhat,” Hall said. “I have my grandchildren. Those are the ones that I think about as we pass legislation. It’s a pleasure to be here.”